Which to use
“cast” is a verb and “coast” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,771
- “cast” frequency rank
- #38,580
- “coast” frequency rank
- 63351
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cast | coast |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Arrojar, lanzar, tirar. | Costa. |
Where the eye mixes cast and coast
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cast with coast
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cast is /kɑːst/ while coast is /kəʊst/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63351, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cast is recorded at frequency rank #24,771, classified as averb, pronounced /kɑːst/. coast is at rank #38,580, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kəʊst/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 63351, this pair ranks #49,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cast vs coast
Shared letters: acst. Private to "cast": -. Private to "coast": o.
"cast" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "coast" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cast" for "coast" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cast" vs "coast" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "cast" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "coast" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #49,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cast" and "coast" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "coast vs count". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #49,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.